Advice on my trip from Los Angeles to las Vegas in my 91 pathfinder v6 4wd

[Earthto Ruben]

Hello I am currently planning on driving my 91 pathfinder v6 4wd. To las Vegas. Nevada
From Los Angeles ca, and wanted some opinions . First off the vehicle is old and currently has 270k miles
I have kept the maintenance up when I purchased it for $400 dollars I have done new timing belt
New thermostat changed all. Belts replaced all hoses changed the water pump!! never over Heats after all switched out which was the
issue when purchased I also purchased new tires (scramblers) altanator seems good . But I believe it has a small oil leak very small
Do you think my car would make it to. Vegas it runs really well now. Im just a little cautious
Advice please thank you

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

It is simply impossible for anyone here or anywhere else on the internet to give you any useful advice regarding the specifics of your vehicle. Any car that is more than 20 years old and has 270,000 is going to be at a higher risk of having a break-down, but the only way to know if your vehicle is likely to make it or not is to have a very complete inspection done by a good mechanic. Without physically seeing your car its just impossible for anyone to have any idea what issues you might face.

We can tell you that roadtrip miles are easier on a vehicle than the stop and go of LA traffic, but if you do have a breakdown, getting it towed and/or fixed in the middle of desert could be quite expensive. At the very least, I'd recommend having AAA or some other breakdown coverage.

[Foy]

Hello Earthto Rueben,

If your Pathfinder has an automatic transmission, I highly recommend a full system automatic transmission fluid (ATF) flush and refiill, and replacement of any internal filter. See if you can get the trans or lube shop to do a "full system" flush, as oftentimes the quoted ATF replacements merely drop the pan and refill as needed, leaving much or most of the old fluid in the torque converter, pumps, and lines. The reason for this is heat buildup is the primary enemy of an automatic transmission, and oftentimes low speed, around town driving doesn't heat up the trans like sustained, high speed mountainous terrain driving does (such as from just north of Barstow to the CA-NV state line). Old, dirty fluid reacts poorly to heat buildup, so if you're unfamiliar with the trans fluid change history, I'd change it before putting the stresses of a long trip on it.

For that matter, if it's a manual trans, and I were unfamiliar with the fluid change history, I'd be inclined to change the manual trans gear oil, too. Ditto the transfer case and rear axle fluids.

Otherwise, it would appear you've covered the very bases I'd cover. I assume you've recently changed the engine oil and filter, the fuel filter, and have fresh anti-freeze/coolant installed following the t-stat and hoses change.

Foy